In these times...

Be honest, how many times in the past few months have you heard an expression that either began or ended with the phrase "in these times" in reference to the economy? I'm guessing about 787 times, once for each billion of taxpayer dollars that President Obama is throwing at the "worst economic disaster since the Great Depression." How many times have you heard that one?

But seriously, the only thing more absurd than Obama's stimulus package ($288.3 billion of taxpayer dollars going into tax provisions; isn't that reasoning a little circular?) are the people who are most fervently trumping the downfall of America's economy: the media. Yes, poor Brian Williams over at NBC, struggling to feed his family, only able to take five vacations this year. Didn't you know? In this economy, his ten million annually only goes for about ten thousand.

But the absurdity doesn't stop with the mainstream media. Now sports media is getting involved. Just listen to the clip from UConn coach Jim Calhoun's press conference. Know that its okay to laugh; just don't be too loud. You wouldn't want your neighbors, who are no doubt starving by candlelight, to hear and think you are being insensitive in these current times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xokthY5zuPU

One could choose from many different colorful or special words to describe Calhoun's demeanor
when asked about his $1.6 million salary, but was this question not ridiculous? After all, no one asks Brian Williams to hand over some of his $10+ million. Does he get a pass for pretending to be the common man, moaning about our economic troubles like a corner street meth-addicted hobo?

And let's not forget we have the Oscars tonight, where movies few people actually liked (I could write an entire selection on how The Dark Knight should win best picture over a gay politician and Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Indian Edition, but any poll would prove my point just as easily) are awarded in a festival of Hollywood glamor, gluttony and extravagance. If the media is going to harass a college basketball coach who works harder and faces just as much scrutiny as any actor, shouldn't we also have a problem with the entertainment industry as a whole? Maybe its just me, but I have a bigger problem with Will Smith making $80 million for pretending to fly and fight zombies (separate movies, although how cool would it have been to combine the two?) then I do a college basketball coach earning a couple million here and there performing a job that actually requires hard work and responsibility. So if the media is going to be pointing any fingers during this economic apocalypse, perhaps they should start by pointing at themselves and the entertainment industry in general.

Or maybe we should all just suck it up, accept the fact that there's a recession, and move on. Really, people, if we can still afford $10 movies, $5 coffees, and $1,000 concert tickets, I think we'll survive.